Felt Presence and Engagement Intention in Immersive Digital Consumption: The Mediating Role of Emotional Value

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of immersive digital technologies has transformed online consumption from predominantly transactional interactions into increasingly experiential and emotionally engaging encounters. Although livestream commerce, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and social commerce enable consumers to interact with products and brands in more immersive ways, limited research has examined the psychological processes through which these experiences are associated with sustained consumer engagement. Addressing this gap, this study examines how three dimensions of felt presence: spatial presence, social presence, and self‐presence are related to engagement intention through the mediating role of emotional value. Drawing on Presence Theory and the Stimulus‐Organism‐Response (S‐O‐R) framework, a quantitative cross‐sectional survey was conducted among 412 Malaysian consumers with recent experience of immersive digital consumption. The proposed model was analyzed using covariance‐based structural equation modeling (CB‐SEM). The findings indicate that spatial presence, social presence, and self‐presence were each positively associated with emotional value, while emotional value was positively associated with engagement intention. Social presence demonstrated the strongest association with emotional value among the three dimensions. Furthermore, emotional value significantly mediated the relationships between each dimension of felt presence and engagement intention, with the nonsignificant direct relationships being consistent with full mediation. These findings suggest that the relationship between immersive presence and intended engagement may operate primarily through the emotional value consumers derive from their digital experiences. The study extends the application of Presence Theory by demonstrating the relevance of spatial, social, and self‐presence to emotional value formation in immersive digital consumption. It also integrates Presence Theory with the S‐O‐R framework by positioning emotional value as an affective mechanism connecting experiential perceptions with intended engagement. From an experiential consumption perspective, the findings highlight that consumer value extends beyond the functional aspects of what is purchased to include how digital consumption experiences are perceived and emotionally experienced. For practitioners, the findings highlight the importance of designing immersive environments that support meaningful social interaction, personal involvement, and emotionally rewarding experiences. The study also offers broader relevance to responsible digital innovation and consumption, particularly in relation to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), while recognizing that these broader sustainability implications require further empirical investigation.